4-3-3; Let's do this a bit differently

[Christopher S]

Hello good folks!

In this thread I'm hoping to get some feedback, thoughts and ideas based on a tactic that does not yet exist. It's a selection of positions, roles and duties that makes sense to me, theoretically, but I have not yet tested. 
I'm hoping to receive feedback on said PRD's, as well as added Team Instructions (and perhaps Player Instructions) before we put it to the test to see how it performs. Call it a group project - a way to put our theory crafting to the test! 

Some basic information;

- The formation is a 4-3-3, also known as a 4-1-2-2-1. That means a DM and AML+AMR. 
- The PRD's I've chosen were based on achieving balance both vertically and horizontally, as well as trying to offer players in all the vertical zones creatively and goal scoring wise. 
- The idea is to let the roles dictate the playstyle, not the other way around. That being said, if you have a particular playstyle you think can be achieved with a small tweak of the PRD's, feel free to suggest it! 

Without further ado, here is the basic setup; 

From my basic understanding of the game, this should put players in most of the vertical spaces moving forward, as well as offer both creativity, support and penetration.
Here's what I imagine happening; 

Attacking space;

Left flank; the WBs will keep width
Left half space; the IWa will move into this area to either take on a defender 1-on-1, move across the face of goal or run in between the RB and RCB
Central space; the Poacher will keep the CBs occupied and look to be a simple attacking pivot and find balls in behind + get on crosses
Right half space; the CMa will look for runs in behind and between the LCB and LB, as the LB will be occupied by the right winger
Right flank; the Wa will keep width on this side and try to hit crosses from the byline

Support; 
- the BWMs will cover the space left by the IWa and stay fairly close to the WBs to deny space, and aggressively chase down clearances. Will likely move up field to make basic link up play happen. 
- the IWBs will move into the space left behind by the CMa, and offer recycling options, making a pseudo-3 with the BWMs and DLPd. 
- the DLPd will sit at the base and dictate play, and move from side to side to receive passes if we run into cul-de-sacs. This player MIGHT be able to be turned into a DLPs instead to offer a larger range of passing, unsure of how that would effect defensive solidity. 

OVER TO YOU GUYS; 

So, what do we think? What are the obvious pitfalls and faults? What kind of football does this lend itself to playing? If you could only make very minor PRD tweaks, what would they be? What team instructions would enable the PRDs in place?

Give me your best shots, and I will put them to the test for you - let's see what our great minds can think of! 

 

Edited September 6, 2022 by Christopher S

[sonnevillejr]

Looks good but I would change the poacher into a creative striker on support duty to link up with the midfield since the BWMsu won’t support the attack and the CMat will rather be inside the box. 
 

Also, the winger on attack might be a problem since you already have the CMat on the same side so the only way to reach the right side is with a pass into space 

[Christopher S]

My first attempt! 

What tweaks have I done; 

- Swapped the Wa to a Ws. I also added Get Further Forward to him, as in my experience the Ws is a very static role without the ball. 
- I added Move Into Channels on the CMa; it's exactly what I want him to do, so it makes sense to tell him to do it
- I changed the DLPd to a DLPs, as well as told him to Close Down Less in an attempt to mitigate his increased risk taking in the defensive part of the game.
- Added Stay Wider to the WBs, as a counter measure to a Team Instruction

As for Team Instructions;

- Positive mentality, as we've got a decent amount of runners we want to find with quality balls, combined with the fact that the 4-3-3 easily lends itself to control possession. That being said, we're looking for possession with intent, not possession for the sake of it.
- Play out of defence goes well with the previous idea, as well as it bringing out team slightly further back when starting the play; leaving more space for our runners up front
- Fairly Narrow, as we want to involve players in the half space to drag defenders out of position. It also emphasizes runs in behind the defence in central areas, and encourages players to use the central corridors as a "wall" to bounce the ball off of. 
- Distribution instructions are there to prevent the ME's propensity for having the keepers HOOF the ball up for no reason
- Higher DL+LoE+Trigger press because we will naturally end up with a lot of players on their half through our PRDs and settings, and we want to force them to make mistakes when our attacks break down without going gung-ho (counter press). 

Test game vs Mura in Champions League
This is a team we should beat, so it's mostly a matter of HOW we beat them. 

Noteable highlights from the game

- A goal from a superb through ball from our DLPs to our CMa rushing into space, highlighting the switch to a DLP on support, rather than on Defend
- A lovely hattrick from our Poacher, who was highly involved 3 goals scored, 3 key passes and 2 clear cut chances created
- The right winger was paramount, with a whooping 9 key passes and 2 clear cut chances created
- Both the WBs and the Ws had 13 crosses each, showing that we had a decently equal distribution of width play

Average positions with the ball

Worth noticing

- We have a player in each half space (our IWa and our CMa)
- The IWBs creates a base 3 with the DLPs and BWMs
- The WBs and the Ws are holding the width
- The Poacher is staying forward, pinning CBs

All of the above is exactly what we wanted our PRDs to achieve! Promising result, for sure!

Edited September 6, 2022 by Christopher S

[The3points]

Nice tactic! Do you find most of your goals come from wide crosses? Because it seems there isn't really anyone between their lines and thus forcing you to get wide more often